ToB 2: Moon, Blood and Flame
by Ayumi Elric
Summary: Central is under attack,the victims left without a trace of blood in their bodies,and Ed thinks he’s the cause.Is his vampire side still alive & out of control?And at the same time,monsters are slowly entering Central.One unknowingly falls into Roy's arms


**Presenting the long awaited sequel to Trace of Blood! Whoot! I actually wrote this during the summer, and I completely forgot about it and never typed it up. -emos- Don't kill me! **

**-Looks over chapter- Wow. It's really long...-sweatdrop- **

**Oh yeah, new readers who hasn't read the original, it's okay to read, you just might not get why Ed and Al are vampires, and the other OC stuff, but that's all. No big deal, XP **

**--- **

_Flames crackled loudly through the burning wood, sending flaming embers to litter the air. Burning wood piled high on top of a large, clear crystal dome that rose in the air over the girl and the body she was shielding. Small whimpers escaped her as she clutched a small crystal with a transmutation circle carved onto it in her good arm and clung to the bloody body of a boy under her. Squinting through black smoke and ashy tears, she searched through the flames of the burning room to find a possible exit. Before she could find one, a loud cracking sound shot through the air over the sound of the fiery blaze. Looking up, her eyes widened in horror as her shield started to break apart, being crushed under the weight and heat. _

_Letting out a sharp scream, she buried her face into the boy's red stained chest and clung harder to his body as the shield collapsed on itself, sending down two large beams of crumbling wood to slam into her back. Yelping in pain, she struggled to get the heavy rafters off her, groaning to herself as the fire crept down the wood and caught easily on the blue military jacket she was wearing. Wincing, she finally heaved herself and the boy free. Trying to ignore the growing fire on her back and around her, she half carried, half dragged the boy through an open area. Pain shot through her body every second as the fire ate away at her flesh. Just spotting a big enough exit to escape, she made to run out when another burning object struck her from behind, making her topple over and roll a few feet forward, accidentally letting go of the corpse. _

_Cursing to herself as the fire spread even more through her body, she groaned as she crawled to where she had dropped him. Starting to feel light headed from lack of oxygen; she halted to cough roughly into her hand already dripping in cold blood. Grimacing at its touch on her face, she made a grab for the body and caught onto the long black sleeve of the jacket he was wearing. Managing to smile slightly, she tugged him closer. _

_Underneath her, the very ground started to crumble. She realized it too late and shrieked shrilly as she and the boy fell through the hole and plummeted into darkness. _

_- _

Yukiko flinched in her sleep, her eyes jolting open. Slightly confused on where she was, she listened to the echoing screams on the white walls with a small realization that they were hers.

She pulled herself into a sitting position, letting her blankets fall away from her, and examined her surroundings, confirming that she was in the military infirmary. A jab of pain in her arm made her wince, looking at where it hurt. She blinked. From just below her right elbow and down, her arm was completely gone. She sighed. _Guess that Rockbell girl must be done. _She thought to herself. She had stopped by a few days ago because Ed had needed new automail since his was missing. That's when Yukiko had asked her to perform the amputation.

Rolling to her side, Yukiko started reaching for the desk beside her bed when the door opened. Ed walked inside, a worried look on his face. "Hey, you okay in here? I thought I heard screaming."

"You did, it was me. Sorry." She answered simply, grabbing her holster and pulling it onto her lap. Digging her only hand inside, she tugged out a small crystal. "Where's the Rockbell girl?" She asked, ignoring the confused look he was giving her.

"I think she just went to the bathroom for a bit." Ed shrugged his shoulders a bit, making her notice that his automail arm had been reattached, but was still hanging limply at his side. "Not working yet?" She asked, pointing to it.

"Yeah, Winry just has to reconnect a few lines or something." Ed shrugged again as he walked over to a chair close by and dragged it beside her bed, sitting down on it. "Yukiko, I wanted to ask you something."

"Can it wait? Kinda busy." Yukiko answered quickly, bringing the crystal closer to her face to examine the small transmutation circle carved onto it. "It'll be quick. I was just thinking…before, when I couldn't remember anything, you told me about me and my mom, about how I…" He trailed off, glancing nervously at the door. Yukiko sighed, putting the crystal back onto her lap and looked at him. "Yeah, I know it's a secret. I'm not gonna tell. I overheard Roy talking about it once." She smiled slightly, choosing not to tell him about reading his military files, unwilling to see his reaction. "You must've been a skilled alchemist to even try it and still live." 

"I was an idiot back then." Ed muttered under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear. She sighed again, turning to her arm and started peeling off the damp bandages. He watched, blinking. "What're you gonna do about that? Are you gonna get automail?"

"Nah. Automail's more your thing then mines. I have a plan." She took the crystal and pressed it onto the open wound, biting her lip and wincing slightly. Small silver sparks flew from the crystal, spreading a thin sheet of ice-like material over the amputated area and stretched out to form out long crystals shaped like bones. Extending to her fingertips, they branched out, making crystal arteries, veins and muscle. The alchemic sparks finally halted as a final covering of mineral blanketed the artificial arm, designed by spider-webbed patterns of snowflakes. She smiled, extending her arm and opening and closing her fist.

"Wow," Ed breathed out, his golden eyes wide. She grinned wider. "Cool, right?"

-

"This is amazing! I've never seen anything like it!" Winry squealed excitedly, grabbing Yukiko's crystal arm hard.

Yukiko chuckled slightly, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "I studied alchemic prosthetics a while back. It was only a theory that I guess I just proved. Kinda sucks that I have to actually do it now." She said, sticking her tongue out playfully. "It takes a constant current of energy to keep it moving and stuff." She sighed to herself as Winry continued to describe about how biologically correct her arm was, wishing that she could be alone for once. She was a few minutes ago as Winry was working on Ed's arm, but she finished quickly and got Ed to take her to Yukiko's room for a visit.

Ed was sitting beside her bed again, scratching the back of his head in annoyance. "…I'm gonna go find Al." He mumbled, standing up and quickly striding to the door. He swung the door open and left, slamming the door shut.

Winry stopped talking, staring after him with a frown on her face. "He's been like that ever since I finished his automail." She sighed, looking at Yukiko, a worried look in her eyes. "Yukiko…Ed and Al won't tell me anything about what happened. Like how Ed broke his automail in the first place. Do you think you can tell me?"

Yukiko blinked, slowly shaking her head. "I can't. Confidential information; it should stay within the military-"

"Please?? I'm just really worried about them." Winry cut in, frowning more. Yukiko sighed again.

"Really, I can't, you probably wouldn't believe me if I did anyway-" Yukiko stopped, frowning at the hurt look Winry was giving her and sighed in defeat. "Fine! Just don't overreact or say anything until I finish." Winry nodded, and Yukiko started explaining. "Well, it all started in Central a couple of weeks ago..."

-

The moon was just a think silver crescent in the sky. A small fire was set in the center of the open field, sending crackling embers into the sky and sending an eerie glow around her pale skin. Amaya wrapped her new cloak tighter around herself, shivering as she let out a shuddering hiss, her mouth opened slightly to let her fangs poke out of her mouth. "Alexander..." She breathed out.

Automatically at her side, her younger brother appeared, looking bored as he shook leaves from his long, unkempt black hair now tied back in a messy ponytail. "Yes, Amaya?"

"I can sense him." Amaya replied, the corners of her lips curling upward in a smirk. "He doesn't know our hearts are still bound...I can find him now, if you'd like."

"Please, don't. You're still too weak in this body," Alexander stared at the fire, the flames reflecting into his ruby-colored eyes. Amaya shook her head slowly, "Nonsense." She lifted a clawed hand and extended it towards the fire. The fire went transparent except for a ring of red on the outside. The transparent part flickered a couple of times until it showed Ed outside staring at the sky and talking to Al. "That's him." She pointed to Alphonse, smiling wider. "That's the boy we need."

"Him?" He repeated, his eyebrows rising in puzzlement. "But why?"

"He's the more vulnerable one. Manipulating Edward was a foolish mistake; his will's just too strong. But perhaps..." She trailed off, snapping her hand back into a fist. The picture in the fire vanished, returning to its natural form. "I want you to retrieve him for me. I've got...plans for him."

Alexander nodded, standing up. "And Kaorin? What are your orders for her?"

"Never you mind that. I had her go ask her Halfling brother a favor." She snapped irritably, her eyes narrowing. "Now hurry, go now."

Alexander nodded again, closing his eyes. "As you wish." He muttered, vanishing into the air. Amaya sneered. "Perfect..."

-

Wind whistled through the otherwise silent caves of the mountain Kaorin had climbed. Her wolf-like eats twitched with ever sound. Shaking her head to get rid of the while snow piling on her head, she stepped into the cave entrance, peering through the darkness. "Damian?" She whispered, her voice echoing back at her.

Angry growls answered her as pairs of yellow eyes flared brightly through the darkness. Kaorin rolled her eyes, her form wavering as her body melted in form, her multicolored hair thinking and turning as white as the snow, her blood red eyes glowing and narrowing into slits that shone a bright yellow. Her fangs grew sharper and more doglike, her claws curling into wicked scythes, her skin filling with a darker hue. She finished quickly, clicking her tongue. "Damian! Come out!" She yelled, her voice even changed into a lower tone, rough and sounding more like a bark.

Two brown wolves ran from the cave to meet her excitedly, barking and nipping at her hair. A teenage boy quickly sauntered out, a mischievous fanged smile on his boy-ish face. Messy brown hair fell into his eyes that wee a bright yellow like Kaorin's has become, and he also had matching brown ears and a large wolf tail. "You wanted me?" He asked.

"Yes, and it would be better if you didn't try and attack me anytime I wasn't in my wolf form." Kaorin snarled, narrowing her already thin eyes. Damian simply laughed. "You know how the wolves think about vampires. Not their fault we're enemies." The smile quickly slid off his face. "What did you need me for?"

"My half sister Amaya requests our assistance." Kaorin grimaced as she said her name. Damian growled softly. "A werewolf...help a vampire? Heh, yeah right."

"Be serious, Damien. Amaya needs a distraction to capture a specific human that could help her in her stupid plan." Kaorin clicked her tongue again, gently stroking one of the wolf's head.

"What kind of distraction?" Damien asked curiously. Kaorin smirked, flashing her thick fangs. "A massacre. You think your wolves are up for a little hunting?"

Damien blinked, then broke into a wide grin. "Of course. It's been a while since we've had human blood..."

**---**

**Done! Finally! So happy with this chapter, but I didn't have Ed in it long enough for my liking. Ah well, there's always next chapter. Reviews please!**


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